Financial Services

Front Office Marketing And Sales

Investment and Asset Management is on the verge of a substantial shift as more baby-boomers retire and Generation X, Generation Y, and Millenials focus more on their own retirement. It is commonly held that the social security system in the United States will not be available for Generation X (1965-1980) nor Generation Y (1980-1995). It’s unclear what the Millenial generation (1995-2010) will see for retirement options. Naturally, these groups will try to leverage their investments for the greatest value gain.

Global changes represent opportunities, for those in a position to take advantage of the change.

Recent shocks to the global markets have thrown many common beliefs onto their heads. Investors have taken a more conservative approach to their retirement, effectively trying to protect whatever gains they’ve made, even while their needs have shifted substantially.

Reaching high net worth individuals, investment groups, even pension funds require recognition of these factors, tying their success to your vision is a critical differentiator between you and your competitors. You need to demonstrate real value to the investor, developing a solid relationship and helping them see their future with their goals in place. Sometimes, these goals are clearly retirement, or asset protection, or increase the value of their pooled investments – but in every situation, their goals must be visualized without additional risks or mitigated and controlled risks.

Acquiring new customers can take a substantial amount of resources and time, if executed improperly. Methods that have been in place for the last few years, and have helped you grow to your current clientbase will be insufficient to react to the steadily, and increasingly, changing relationship environment.

Social Media, extends beyond Twitter and Facebook. Social Media has matured substantially from a neat, little toy into a requiremnt to reach some of the more savvy technical investment advisory consumer. Even business-to-business firms must adapt to the impact that social media brings to relationships and business. The importance of helping your clients adapt to the changes that they are feeling due to social media has become an unspoken demand.

Middle Office Trading Operations

Global trading regulations and complexities have become a significant point of risk among investment and asset management firms. Developing procedures and policies that protect not only the investment principles and strategies, but at times, the firm itself, have become critical.

Reductions in expense, through tax management, timing of expenses, recovery of foreign settlement withholding, tax reclaims, and even oversights by your providers can have a substantive positive impact. Even capturing cash on trade settlement dates can materially increase assets available for investment and hence performance.

Carlisle Group principals have successfully saved millions in portfolio assets – impacting operations and helping to improve results while substantively reducing risks.

Back Office Recordkeeping

In the late 90s, investment managers reviewed their investment accounting and transaction procedures and systems. The industry quickly followed with trading systems, performance measurement and datawarehousing through the early 2000s. The reviews of financial reporting materially wrapped up in 2008, and subsequently, GCom2 Solutions sold to Bowne (now RR Donnelly).

Kevin Flavin, a principal at Carlisle Group, has been deeply engaged with these changes in the market. Prior to the late 90s, he led the development of valuation procedures and processes as a Valuation Analyst at Brown Brothers Harriman. Pioneer Investment Management, a leader in emerging market investments, brought Kevin inhouse to create a valuation group as well as re-calibrate the procedures and operations of corporate actions, pricing, internal audit, cash management and expense management.

If you’ve been thinking about how your procedures and operations stand up against the industry best practices, Carlisle Group can help.